The ACT Brumbies will pave the way for Christian Lealiifano to join the Super Rugby club's coaching staff next year if illness puts his career on hold.
Lealiifano was released from hospital last week and could have a bone-marrow transplant to continue his treatment for leukaemia.
It is unclear whether Lealiifano will be able to play next year given the timeframe of his treatment is yet to be determined and his health is the No.1 priority.
Lealiifano won the Brumbies' top prize on Friday night, claiming his first Brett Robinson award as the players player for an impressive 2016 season.
But if he is unable to play next year, the Brumbies will offer him a position on their staff as a potential back-line mentor.
Lealiifano has flagged his interest in moving into coaching when his rugby career ends and has been a back-line tactician in recent seasons.
Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham said there was no rush to form a plan for Lealiifano, adding his personal battle had affected everyone at the club in a different way.
"If Christian can't play we'd certainly love him to do a bit of the coaching stuff and potentially with the back line," Larkham said.
"He's got some long-term plans to go into coaching so we may dabble with that. But we have to wait and see what happens and how he recovers.
"I think it would be great to have him around the team in some sort of capacity. But that will depend on how Christian feels more than anything else."
Larkham announced on Friday night he had signed a one-year contract extension to remain at the Brumbies until at least the end of 2017.
He will make a decision on his long-term future in the coming months as he weighs up whether to stay in Canberra or join the Wallabies as a full-time assistant coach for the lead-in to the World Cup in 2019.
Larkham has regularly visited Lealiifano since being diagnosed last month and the club has rallied around one of its favourite sons to offer assistance in any way it can.
Lealiifano has finished the initial round of chemotherapy and was allowed to spend time at home with his family and friends in the past week.
The next stage of treatment could include a bone-marrow transplant and a suitable donor has been identified.
If Lealiifano is unable to play next year, the Brumbies will need to find a replacement player for their squad.
His potential absence would be compounded by the departure of Matt Toomua, who has signed a deal to play in England.
Lealiifano and Toomua have been the Brumbies chief playmakers for the past five years and are two of the team's most experienced players.
Larkham will turn to the National Rugby Championships and Canberra Vikings to give someone a chance to step up if Lealiifano is not there.
He could also scour the New Zealand provincial ranks to see if there is a suitable player available.
Young guns Nick Jooste and Jordan Jackson-Hope will get their chance to impress in the Vikings NRC season while Robbie Coleman and Kyle Godwin loom as options.
Western Force star Godwin is all but certain to join the Brumbies next season, but his deal is awaiting final approval and the finer details need to be finalised.
Jackson-Hope made his Super Rugby debut this year while Jooste is rated as a future star. Both played in the Australian under-20s team this season.
"We'll look at the players we have and we'll keep an open mind to how we go about Christian's situation," Larkham said.
"Joostey is getting some good game time in the NRC, Robbie Coleman can play in the inside backs as well and Jordan had a great first year.
"We'll look at the NRC and see how the guys perform in our squad."